Category Archives: Recipes

The opportunity to give your loved one a sweet, tasty treat when Valentine’s Day arrives is an opportunity you must not pass up. Why not try a Heart-shaped chocolate cake this Valentine?

Chocolate is always a hit on Valentine’s Day. A heart-shaped chocolate cake is easy to make and with Valentine’s Day getting closer by the day, it is time to make sure we have a decent Chocolate cake recipe in hand.

Can you tell what’s wrong with this Jus Alpukat? Jus Alphkat or Avacado Juice is one of our favorite drinks in Indonesia. We even have our very own recipe for it. But can you tell what’s missing with this Jus Alpukat?

Mrs D went for a quick lunch last week after shopping for Miss D’s coming China trip. Yes, Miss D is now in China again! Two China trips in less than two months. Miss D is sure a very busy 12 years old.

So after shopping, Mrs D had a quick lunch at Citoes (a popular expat shopping plaza in South Jakarta, where many working expats have lunches). She loved her drinks and ordered her favorite Jus Alpukat and Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice).

After ordering, the waiter came back with a large glass of Jus Alpukat, and said sorry that they had made the Juice but found out they had run out of Chocolate milk.

‘Do you still want it, mama?’ the waiter asked, holding the glass and offered a different drink if Mrs. D didn’t want it.

Of course, Mrs. D took it, she hates waste. The Jus Alpukat turned out yummy as usual.

Maybe next time, we will ignore the Chocolate milk part when we make the Jus Alpukat at home. A more healthy version, Yeh!

We love chocolate brownies. We love chocolate brownies so much that we can even live with a pizza shop chocolate brownie, remember? Why not have chocolate cranberry brownies for our Christmas party? Brilliant idea! Everyone will love it. This soft chocolate cranberry brownie is easy to make. You really got to try very hard to mess up this one.

This chocolate cranberry brownie is the ultimate chocolate treat for this Christmas. Actually it is the perfect dessert for any occasion, really.

It is soft, very moisturized. It is also very versatile. We can replace the cranberries with any other dried fruit. Cranberries are pretty expensive here in Jakarta. Maybe we can add chopped dates instead? Or dried apples? Even chocolate chips? Double chocolate brownie, that would be chocolate heaven.

To make a healthier version, we can use self-raising whole meal flour instead of the all purpose flour. Sounds good? Here is the recipe:

Cake base:

Sugar 1/2 cup

Salt 1/3 tsp

All purpose flour 1 1/2 cups

Butter 1/2 cup (softened at room temperature softened and cut into small cubes)

We love mangoes ever since we have been in Jakarta and this mango yogurt parfait is such a delight to make. It is a perfect mango recipe for our Christmas in Jakarta. Even better we can make these mango yogurt parfaits ahead of time and enjoy it when the party starts.

This mango yogurt parfait is very easy to make and yet tastes really refreshing and satisfying. Even Miss D can make this all by herself. If you don’t want granola, simply add some chopped nuts or chocolate and it will taste just as good.

Mangoes 2 cubed

Vanilla yogurt 3 cup (use low fat, or any other flavor as you like, but we always stick to the original vanilla flavor)

Granola 6 tbsp (add chopped nuts or chocolate if you like)

Puree 1 cubed mango and pour equal amounts into 6 glasses

Add ¼ cup of yogurt on top of the mango puree

Add remaining cubed mango on top of the yogurt (leave a few pieces of cubed mango for garnish)

Top each glass with remaining 1/4 cup yogurt and reserved mango cubes

Cover and refrigerate (for at least 30 min for best result)

Top each serving with a tablespoon of granola (or chopped nuts and chocolates) before serving.

We absolutely love cocktails and this Mango Margarita is our all time favorite. Besides, mango is always abundant in Jakarta. It is cheap and has a very beautiful flavor. What’s not to like about mango? For Miss D, she will just have a non-alcoholic version of this Mango Margarita and away we go. It’s one happy family.

We drink this Mango Margarita all the time during the summer back in Sydney. Now that we are in Jakarta, there is all the more reason to drink Mango Margarita. Use the best quality tequila you can afford…. this is the secret for making the best Mango Margarita in town.

Gado gado is pretty cheap in Jakarta. So if you are here, you might simply buy it from the shops instead of making it. There are street food vendors selling it for IDR 8,000 per portion. In the restaurants, it is IDR 20,000 to IDR 40,000 per dish.

31 Days In Jakarta Day 16

We had pancakes on Sunday morning. They were so satisfying that Miss D wanted seconds. We have to share this pancake recipe with you as we like it so much. Besides, these pancakes are super easy to make. They are lovely, light and luscious!

Even better, these pancakes saved us a trip to the local coffee shop. Relaxing Sunday by the pool. Yes, that’s the way to go.

Why will anyone ever use a mix when we can have home-made pan cakes like these? Why not try these wonderful pancakes in the morning? You will love them.

Ingredients:

Flour 24 Tbsp

Sugar 2 Tbsp (or to taste, we add a lot of maple syrup, so we don’t add much sugar to the actual pan cake, hehehee.)

Salt a pinch

Milk: 200ml-210ml (add gradually so the mixture is not too thin)

Egg 1

Baking Powder 2 Tsp

Melted butter: 15g or 1TB

Vanilla powder 1 Tsp

Sift baking powder with flour

Add sugar and salt

Add egg and milk

Mix well and let mixture stand for a few minutes

Heat frying pan on medium, swirl oil to coat frying pan

Pour 1/4 cup batter into frying pan

Brown on both sides (trick here is to wait till batter to bubble, and press the pan cake with a shovel to make sure it is firm enough to flip. Only flip once)

Miss D loves mac & cheese. But not the boxed versions of mac & cheese. You know, the ones made with powdered cheese and plastic pasta. How can this be nutritious?! Sorry, La Fonte. You are just not our kind. Miss D thinks the boxed mac & cheese is gross. She refuses to eat them.

So Mrs D came up with a nice, easy mac & cheese recipe. Everyone likes it. In fact, Miss D claims it is ‘the Best mac & cheese ever’. That sure puts a smile on Mrs D’s face.

When think about it, mac & cheese is a great idea. It is super easy to cook, yet loaded with lots of dairy food. Dairy food is very important in helping our kids to grow strong bones, and healthy teeth. So we shall all have mac & cheese every now and then.

Put butter in the frying pan. (Make sure it is on low fire, we don’t want the butter to burn)

When the butter is melted, add pasta, and stir. (Turn the fire to medium here)

Add cream and the grated cheese.

Stir and cook until creamy and melted.

Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve warm.

The fun part of this recipe is you can add as much or as little cheese as you like. If you are a cheese lover like us, then add loads of it and enjoy. It’s rich, creamy, warm and absolutely luscious. But if you are on a diet or like it less cheesy, it is also OK.

There is no rules here. Make it to suit your need. It is a very simple mac & cheese, you can’t mess this one up.

31 Days In Jakarta Day 11

Nasi Goreng is an every day Indonesia dish, one that they serve in all Indonesia restaurants. It is simple yet fantastic and gives such a great flavor. Everyone will have some Nasi Goreng during their stay in Indonesia, we are sure of that.

This is our version of Nasi Goreng. We learned it from our Indonesia friend and it is very nice.

Good morning. How are you today? Have you eaten your breakfast this morning?

Mrs D loves sleep in and sometimes skips her breakfast. Not a good habit, we know.

To make our breakfast healthier, more nutritious and ready to eat, we found this Bacon, Egg & Cheese muffin recipe. It is a super fast, easy recipe, and the muffins are nutritious. Best part–it can be made ahead of time. These muffins are a delicious on-the-go breakfast, or a yummy healthy snack.

Miss D loves these muffins. Sometimes she runs late for school, and will just grab a muffin and go. Every now and then, we will make a larger batch of muffins and put them in the fridge, they will last for a few days. Simply heat them up whenever we are hungry (muffin hunger to be exact).

We found this recipe in Bruce Fife’s excellent book, “Cooking with Coconut Flour”. We have since changed the recipe a bit to suit our taste. You can try it out and we are sure you will like it too. Oh, you may add mushroom in the muffins, it also turns out very well in this recipe.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Muffins with Coconut Flour

Makes 6 muffins.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 tablespoon bacon drippings

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 tablespoon coconut flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

8 strips of bacon

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Butter (if you are greasing your muffin tin which is preferred, these muffins do tend to stuck to the liners).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Fry bacon in a pan until crispy. Put aside.

Blend eggs, bacon drippings and salt.

Add coconut flour and baking powder — mix until there are no lumps.

Put bacon and cheese into food processor and process until crumbled. Stir into batter.

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It is the end of September and what are you planning for this weekend?

Mrs D went to a lady’s gathering this week and one of the ladies brought a nice Mango Float for us to share.

‘This dessert doesn’t float, but the one eating it surely will!

It is delicious and creamy.’

Not a bad feedback, right? So this weekend, why not give this recipe a try and have some quality dessert time?

This mango float is soft and tasty, sweet but not greasy. It is a perfect dessert for Jakarta. Mangoes are so easy to find in Jakarta. There are actually different kinds of mangoes. People use them in cooking as well (as in dishes).

1 cup heavy cream, chilled (double cream is Ok)

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, chilled

1/2 cup mashed ripe mango

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Thin sliced of ripe mangoes

Graham Crackers or Slices of Chiffon cake (Any cracker will do)

Chopped nuts or Maraschino cherries (Optional)

Now the best part. It is super easy to make. No heat, no bake. It is a delight making this Mango Float:

We went to a friend’s house over the weekend, and she made ​​a yummy Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable salad for us.

Very tasty.

Even Miss D ate a plateful!

Grilled veggies is a Mediterranean dish features olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. It is easy to make and nutrient-rich. For parents like us, it is super quick to cook and can provide our kids with a balanced diet. We have tried it many times in our house as well and we like it.

When think about it, vegetables cooked on the grill actually have their own unique taste, and we don’t have to worry about under or overcooking them the way we do with meat. Simple and yummy!

It is summer all year round here in Jakarta. We can’t think of a better way to enjoy the fresh flavors of the season than with this salad. It’s the perfect Summer side dish or a light vegetarian main course.

Put into the pre-heated grill, turning occasionally, until peppers are slightly charred and veggies are tender (about 5-8 minutes). Serve.

Mrs D usually just search her fridge to find leftover vegetables. Overtime, we find that the most suitable vegetables for this dish are peppers, tomatoes (preferably Roma – oblong), corn, zucchini, onions and garlic.

This salad can be used as a side dish to steak, salmon, or other meat. It is also extremely delicious to have with grilled sourdough bread. Just top the vegetables on the bread then dip in the leftover grill sauce. We can make a meal out of it by just eating this. The satisfied look on Miss D’s face when she gobbles up the bread and vegetables makes our hearts sing.

Nowadays, to see if a recipe is good or bad, we just watch if Miss D eats it happily or not. Life is simple, isn’t it . . .

To make this dish even more appealing, toss the vegetables with Greek vinaigrette and top with a bit of crumbled Feta cheese for a little extra zing.

You don’t have to limit yourself to the vegetables we’ve used, you can grill whatever you enjoy and toss it all together.

What do you cook during hot summer time? Share a favourite recipe with us by sending us an email.

How are you this morning? We hope you had a relaxed weekend as we did.

In our efforts to enjoy more Indonesia food, Mrs D has been trying out all kinds of Indonesia recipes. And this one is a keeper: Jus alpukat, it is Indonesian for avocado juice. We have just made it over the weekend and it is delicious.

Until we arrived in Jakarta, we never tried Avocado juice. It turns out Avocado juice is a very popular drink in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and some other South-East Asian countries.

Anyway, this recipe is the absolute hands-down favourite of the many Indonesia recipes we tried. It’s creamy, rich and very satisfying; the kids love it and it’s super easy to whip up at home.

Miss D sometimes has this after school, as a bit of a treat.

Ingredients

1 avocado, seeded and peeled

250 ml water

3 tbs sugar (or to taste, we usually put a bit less)

2 tbs chocolate condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

15-20 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients in your mixer! And wow, you have just made yourself two big glasses of Avocado juice. Yum!!!

Wait, we are not done yet. Actually the fun part begins here and Miss D will always happily take over: scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoon of chocolate condensed milk, decorate the wall of the glasses with it. Pour the ready-made juice into the glass, top with leftover chocolate condensed milk.

There, now it’s done. What a refreshing way of enjoying Avocado!

Have you tried this recipe before? Do you have any favourite Indonesia recipes, or your home country recipes you want to share with us? Drop us an email and we are keen to have a go and let you know if we like it.